Peter Jackson to unveil first Hobbit trailer today

The wait will soon be over for Hobbit fans: Peter Jackson will unveil the first trailer for his hugely anticipated movie today.

Studio officials said the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey would be launched at 4pm today, and nzherald.co.nz readers can expect to see it on their favourite news site as soon as possible after that time.

Anticipation for the film, based on JRR Tolkein's iconic book, is high as only a handful of production photos of actors in character have been seen.

But a new synopsis of the film unveils key plot details about the movie.

"The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug," the statement said.

"Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of 13 dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield.

"Their journey will take them into the wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

"Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum.

"Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know."

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released on December 14, 2012, with the second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, due out on December 13, 2013.